Bluman v. FEC - Post-Decision SCOTUScast

On January 9, 2012, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Blumen v. FEC. The question in this case was whether a federal statute that prohibits foreign nationals, who in this case were present in the United States on temporary work visas, from making contributions to candidates or to political parties, or from making express advocacy expenditures with respect to U.S. elections, violated these persons’ First Amendment rights. A three-judge panel in the lower court rejected the foreign nationals’ claim that their rights had been violated. In a one-sentence order, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the lower court’s judgment.

To discuss the case, we have Allison Hayward, the Vice President of Policy at the Center for Competitive Politics.